| Would you mind if a Chinese asks you such questions? | |
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| Jul 6, 2008 01:30 |   |
| guest9527 | I am collecting some informations on the customary practices about the western culture. Are there some taboos in your daily interactions with your folks? Will you mind if a Chinese person asks you about such topics as your age, your salary, your marriage status, your address, religious belief, your experience and your whereabouts? My teachers said you western people value privacy very much. Would you become angry if someone asks you such questions? I will appreciate your help. |
| Jul 6, 2008 01:40 | #1 |
| GUEST42124 | Yes, I mind. Is is intruding into my privacy indeed. Sorry. |
| Jul 6, 2008 03:24 | #2 |
 | I wouldn't be angry but then again I am Chinese and thats what Chinese people do. I find that if your a Male, they tend to ask you first whether your married or not and age before anything else. |
| Jul 6, 2008 07:31 | #3 |
| Yes, Your teacher is correct. We value our privacy and in our culture it is not appropriate for a stranger to ask these kinds on questions. However, you may ask a visitor to China, questions like these listed below, always keeping in mind that it is 'polite to ask first' if the person would mind answering some questions. Questions that are OK to ask a stranger once you have SAID hello and introduced yourself Q: Hello A: Hello Q: Are you visiting China or do you live here? A: visiting/ live in ...............(city) Q: I hope you are enjoying your time here. A: yes/no Q: Where are you from? A: .I'm.......................(nationality) Q: Would you mind if I asked you some more questions?? A: yes/no If you get a 'yes' answer, you might follow-up with questions like How long have you been in China? Are you here with friends or family or on your own? What kind of work are you doing here in China? Is this the same kind of job that you have back home? What do you like about China? What, if anything don't you like about China? Can you speak Mandarin? What's you favourite place in China?? (Great Wall, Shanghai, villages of Guizhou) Some of the topics below can be covered from following up on the second question on my list. The others would be seen as impolite although I do answer some of them in most instances but I get very bored after being asked these same questions over and over again. The 'age' question was a big issue especially when asked by five year olds. I tell them I am five or six because most of them cannot count past that in English anyway. But I understand for some people it is hard for them to judge our age and knowing how old we are helps them to address us respectfully in Chinese. however I think it is obvious to most people who are younger than us and so it should not be a question for this reason. We only discuss these topics with people who are friends and others who have gained our respect NOT VERY APPROPRIATE <Will you mind if a Chinese person asks you about such topics as your age, your salary, your marriage status, your address, religious belief, your experience and your whereabouts> This list is not exhaustive Please feel free to add more ideas.....................it may help some of you who would like to 'befriend' a foreigner but either don't know how to begin or put them off by inappropriate approaches. |
| Jul 6, 2008 20:37 | #4 |
| I give talks to groups of Chinese people, some students, some adults on various topics about Western culture. My audience is always trying to draw me into giving some of my own personnel experiences and personnel details. It certainly doesn’t offend me. If I think the question is a little too personnel I just answer with humour. My point is soon taken. I was having lunch the other day at a guest house in a small village just two hours drive north of Beijing .The lady owner said to my friends “ this man doesn’t look like us, where is he from”. My friends replied that I was from the north. We laughed. So there is nothing wrong with curiosity, just how we handle it. Cheers, Dodger. |
| Jul 6, 2008 20:50 | #5 |
| Even in China, some topics can only be talked about among close friends. For example, it is better not to ask a man about his salary if you are not familiar with him. You'd better not to ask a woman about her age , particularly middle-aged women. |
| Jul 6, 2008 23:33 | #6 |
| Most personal questions on the site don't really bother me, after all we're here to learn other culture traits and glean information as part of the educational process. I'll go along with DODGER'S comment that if a question is too personal then my response will try to be humorous or an "off the wall " answer. |
| Jul 7, 2008 21:26 | #7 |
| Hey!!!! How much is everyone’s salary here? :-P Seriously, some privacy is essential. Why is there a need to know one’s salary? Even the Chinese guard their privacy, too. Isn't there a thread about that? |
| Jul 7, 2008 22:19 | #8 |
| Er....Ah......mine is not enough. Thank You |
| Jul 8, 2008 16:10 | #9 |
| It all depends on the context. If the person asking such personal questions is genuinely curious or has an ulterior motive. the person asked would probably want to know why such questions are put forth. We never discuss salaries. I do not know my relatives salaries and they do not know mine. such information would allow comparisons and that would lead to jealousy. |
| Jul 8, 2008 19:03 | #10 |
| The women from mainland China normally don't care being asked how old they are but they do care the elapse of youth like the women or men from the rest of the world. We will feel uncomfortable when being asked on earnings. |
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